The original publication is available at https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/20563485

en_ZA

dc.description.abstract

The potential of remote sensing (RS) to assist with conservation planning,
implementation and monitoring is well described, and particularly relevant in
African areas that are inaccessible due to terrain, finances or politics. We provide
an African perspective on remote sensing (RS) training for conservation
and ecology over the last decade through investigating (1) recent use of RS in
African conservation literature, (2) use of RS in African conservation agencies,
(3) RS training by African institutions and (4) RS capacity development by ad
hoc events. Africa does not produce most of the research using RS in conservation
and ecological studies conducted on Africa, with authors with correspondence
addresses in the USA predominating (33% of a bibliometric analysis),
although South Africa-based authors constituted 20% (with an increase between
2000 and 2015), Kenya 6% and Tanzania and Ethiopia 4% each. Ideally
research should be conducted close to the point of use to ensure relevance and
data residence in the country concerned. This is a point for attention, possibly
through international funding to increase the capacity of African academic
institutions to conduct research using RS to answer conservation questions.
Part of this will need to include attention on data and software costs, internet
speeds and human capacity. Data costs have been alleviated by free Landsat and
MODIS data, and the Copernicus programs, but there is need for higher resolution
imagery to be freely available for certain conservation projects. Open
Source software may well offer a long-term solution to software costs. This
would require that teaching is realigned to employer requirements, which are
shifting in many countries and agencies from proprietary software to Open
Source due to licensing costs. Low internet connectivity in many areas of Africa
might limit the uptake of new data processing options that require connectivity,
although over time these tools may become available to more users. However,
human capacity is developing. Of the 72 academic institutions surveyed, a
number of conservation programs supplied either tailored RS teaching or used
‘service modules’ to provide RS skills to young graduating conservation professionals,
showing a recognition of the importance of RS in conservation in
Africa. This study highlights the success of capacity development in Africa, and
the increasing use of remote sensing for conservation in Africa.